How can architecture solve the issues of smog, noise, water deficiency and energy consumption in the urban landscape? Tremend Studio has taken on the challenge by designing an intermodal metropolitan bus station in Poland that integrates nature into the city and creates a seamless collaboration between architecture and ecology.

The bus station in Lublin, Poland, is conceived as being constructed near the Lublin train station in order to create a seamless link between the two transit points. The station aims to create a welcoming, green environment that revitalises the surrounding area and creates a thriving greenspace for travellers and the local community to enjoy.

The roof of the station will feature a large garden for the public to enjoy the sun and natural surroundings, and one side wall will be covered in greenery in order to create an environmental zone that connects the station with the adjacent Folk Park.

“Architecture of public places is evolving, in my opinion, in a very good direction,” commented architect Magdalena Federowicz-Boulem president of the Tremend board. “Combining different spaces and open shared zones favours establishing contacts. The communication centre, which is to be built in Lublin, will revive the district and become a meeting place where people will be able to meet and spend together time in an attractive environment with greenspaces. The project is also a response to problems related to environmental protection and city life, such as smog, water and energy consumption, noise. It is an image of how we perceive the role of ecology in architecture.”

The building is divided into two independent ‘cubicles’ that act as a ‘building within a building’, which are wrapped in a glass curtain. The northern façade of one section features the green wall, while the eastern façade of the inner cube is covered in concrete slabs. The rooms inside the station are separated from the hall by a glazed surface, which is tinted for certain areas, such as the admin rooms.

Dividing the spaces acts as a consideration to the environment and the systems used for the station, as a “building within a building” will lower energy use and will enable the heating systems to rely on ground heat pumps. Energy-efficient LED lights will also aid in decreasing the rate of energy consumption, which will be controlled by a motion detector. This system will take into action the intensity of light filtering through the outside into the building and will link to the time of day, year and additional external factors. This type of system can reduce energy demands by up to 50 percent.

In response to the city smog, the architects envisioned an anti-smog block, which is a modern, photocatalytic material. This block contains titanium dioxide that, when exposed to light, transforms toxic fumes into non-harmful substances. Plants will, of course, also play a part in promoting healthy air quality and the water needed for the complex will be collected through a rainwater treatment system.

Bicycle stands and chargers for electronic vehicles are also included in the design, adding to the environmentally-friendly architectural concept.

The design for the bus station creates a seamless collaboration between architecture and ecology and has been honoured at the World Architecture Festival by being shortlisted in the Future Projects: Infrastructure category. The final awards will be presented in Amsterdam in December 2019.